Things Better Left Unsaid
by PhantomGirl1731
Summary: Dean and Maxine #4 - Wedding bells are ringing, but not for Dean and Max...yet. A phone call brings the new trio to New York, where the bride-to-be may be the next target of a strange spirit. Oh, and did we mention that this bride was Max's cousin?
1. Chapter 1

**Yet another Dean/Maxine story. Typical disclaimers apply...I do not own the Winchesters...and the guidelines for this story came from "100 Ghastly Little Ghost Stories", the title is mentioned in a later chapter. **

* * *

"**Things Better Left Unsaid" **

The Impala shot down the dark road, the headlights the only source of illumination.

"So," Max said, sitting behind the wheel. She was bleeding from claw marks that went down the right side of her face, from her temple to her jaw line. She glanced over at Sam, who was also bleeding from claw marks on his left cheek. "That was your father."

"Yeah," Dean nodded from the backseat, looking strange in the shadows because of the bleeding slashes that marked his face down his forehead.

Sam shook his head, "I still think it was—"

"Sam, we get it," Max rolled her eyes. "You think it was a mistake for sending your dad away. And maybe it was—"

"What?" Dean snapped.

"_But_," Max said loudly, glaring at Dean in the rearview mirror. She looked at Sam, "I honestly think Dean was right. I said maybe, to leave a margin for error…"

Sam sighed, and gazed into the darkness outside of the car. After a few minutes, he smiled.

Max glanced at him, "What?"

"I don't think he liked you too much…"

"Well, she did pull a gun on him," Dean smiled as well.

"Hey!" Max snapped. "I didn't pull a gun on him…it was already in my hand…I wasn't even aiming at him!"

"Whatever you say, Max," Dean smirked.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be on my side?" Max asked, glancing back at him.

"When I'm allowed to drive again, I'll be on your side," Dean informed her.

"Dean, you almost hit a tree when blood got in your eyes," Sam told him.

Dean scowled and gave him the finger.

"Maturity, thy name is Dean," Max rolled her eyes.

"Just pull over at the next motel, Max," Dean shook his head.

"Let me know when you see one," Max replied.

"We should've hit a town by now," Sam thought out loud.

"Yeah, we already passed through a couple, going through back roads, different twists and turns, trying to stay hidden from your mistress."

"Hey!" Sam snapped, now on the defensive.

"It's your turn," Max rolled her eyes. "We made fun of me; we made fun of Dean, now it's your turn Sammy."

"Sam!"

"Whatever," Max said.

The conversation died down after that, the only sound was the rumbling of the Impala's engine. An hour crawled by before Max's cell phone began to ring, which made all three nearly jump out of their skins.

Max pulled the ringing phone out of her coat pocket and flipped it open, "Hello." She frowned, "Dex? What's up? I told you I wasn't making any deliveries this week."

In the silence, the Winchesters could hear a male's voice speaking, though the words weren't very distinguishable.

"Could be nothing," Max told him.

The voice was talking again; the numbers '04, '03, and '02 could be made out.

Max sighed, "All right, we'll check it out."

The voice said one more thing.

"Call you when we get there," Max answered tiredly and ended the call, closing her phone. She pulled the Impala to the side of the road and came to a stop, then put her phone back in her pocket.

"So," Dean began, "Who's Dex?"

"A friend," Max explained. "Also a client. He runs an antique store in Rochester, New York. Picked up a few packages for him a while back."

"So, what does he want?" Sam then asked.

"Married couples," Max said. "Newly weds that end up dead. Once a year, the same time every year. Just one couple."

"And your friend Dex thinks its something supernatural?"

"That would be correct," Max nodded. "I also helped him out with a haunting…similar to the snake ring a while back…except this chick didn't want to lose her clock…" She frowned and shrugged, "Anyway, he thinks it's supernatural."

"Okay," Sam nodded, "So let's go."

"All right then," Max restarted the Impala, "Just makin' sure we were all goin'. Dean, you okay?"

"Huh?" Dean asked, startled.

"You were a little quiet back there," Max said, "No odd cracks from the peanut gallery."

"Heard you," Dean shrugged, "We should probably find a place to crash for the night."

Max did a U-turn, and headed north, "We just passed a town an hour and a half ago…I'll find someplace there."


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

Max sat up with a gasp, trying to catch her breath.

"Nightmare?" Dean hissed.

Max jumped, not realizing he was awake. "Did I wake you?"

"Naw," Dean grimaced, also sitting up. "Your elbow did."

Max frowned, "Sorry…"

"Man, Max," Dean sighed, "Those nightmares of yours are getting more violent…" He rubbed the sore spot on his gut, "and painful."

"You have no idea," Max shook her head.

"Well…what do you have nightmares about?" Dean asked.

Max shook her head again, "I don't want to talk about them."

Dean sighed, "And I thought Sam was bad…"

Max rolled her eyes, "His dreams are different…a _lot_ different. And his are probably consistent, and his don't relate to real life."

"What?"

"I mean," Max frowned, "I don't know what I mean…"

Dean plopped back down, "Took a whole lot of words to just say, _I don't feel like talkin'_."

Max rolled her eyes, and checked the clock, "I'm going out."

Dean looked at it when she got to her feet, "It's four a.m.!"

"And?" Max asked, grabbing her bag.

"What are you going to do at four in the morning?" Dean asked.

Max shrugged, "I'll find something."

Dean sighed, as she retreated into the bathroom, and shut the door. She came out about ten minutes later, and kissed Dean on the forehead.

"I'll be back," She said with a smile, tossed her bag on top of his, and walked out the door.

Dean rolled his eyes, and rolled onto his side, "Hope you find the answer to your problem while you're at it…"

Max locked the door and sighed, pulling her cell phone out of her pocket. She went into her contact list and hit send.

After a few rings a groggy-sounding voice picked up, "This had better be good O'Reilly. You just woke me up from a pretty good dream."

"I just woke up a from a nightmare," Max snapped, "At least someone's getting pleasant dreams."

Justin sighed, "More nightmares about Clarissa?"

"What do you think?"

"I'm telling you, Max," Justin said, "As far as we can tell Clarissa's still in Monica's old lair, pretending she's the bad-ass vampire queen she's not."

"Did she take any trips out of Denver?" Max asked, walking down the street.

"Not as far as we could tell," Justin yawned. "But that doesn't mean she didn't."

"You guys are sure she's there now?"

"Clarissa is home in Monica's lair as we speak," Justin confirmed. "The night shift checked in at about midnight, and no reports of movement as of then. Which was two hours ago."

"Two?" Max frowned, checking her watch, "What time is it there?"

"Just bumped two fifteen," Justin yawned again. "What time is it there?"

"Four fifteen," Max replied.

"You're…east somewhere, right?"

"Somewhere in New York…don't really remember…we're headed for Rochester," Max explained.

"What does Dex want now?" Justin frowned, "By the way, he's left you like…ten messages on your machine."

"Ghost business," Max sighed, "Called us a few hours ago. Dean about had a heart attack when I drove straight to New York…"

"Why?"

"Well, for one, I think I broke a couple of speeding laws," Max frowned, "Two, the Impala's his baby, can't hurt his baby."

"Man is in love with his car," Justin rolled his eyes.

"You're just jealous because you can't drive," Max smirked.

"Oh shut up," Justin scowled on his end.

Max smiled, "Well…the reason he almost had a heart attack was because I was nodding off at the wheel…almost hit the fuel pump I was parking near to get gas." She chuckled, remembering when she'd hit the curb, Dean had been asleep in the backseat, and then went off like a rocket. "You'd shoulda been there, really entertaining."

"Even though he was yelling at you," Justin chuckled.

"Still funny as hell," Max shook her head. "Then again…I probably shouldn't be talking…the only reason I took over driving was because Dean almost hit a tree…"

"You two are way too overprotective of your cars," Justin cut in. "And as much as I like hearing from you, Max, I want to get some sleep."

"Sorry," Max frowned sheepishly. "I'll let you go."

"Much appreciated," Justin yawned. "I'd get back to your room, Max. Being in New York at night, by yourself…never a good thing."

"Yeah, I'm headed back," Max nodded, turning at walking back to the motel room. "I'll let you get back to dreamland, Eyes Only."

"Hey!" Justin whined, "You promised to never bring that up again!"

Max chuckled, "Well, is that what you were dreaming about?"

There was a silence on the other end.

"Justin?" Max frowned.

The phone sounded like it fell to the floor.

"Justin?" Max asked, louder this time.

A slicing sound was heard, followed by choked gasps.

"I told you, Maxie," the familiar voice said on the other end. "It was just a matter of time."

_"Max, wake up!"_

Max opened her eyes with a gasp, seeing the familiar interior of the Impala. She relaxed against the seat with a sigh, "Not again…"

"Not what again?" Dean asked, glancing at her from the rearview mirror.

Max met his gaze in the mirror, "Nothing."

"You mentioned Clarissa," Dean told her.

Max rolled her eyes, "Lovely."

Dean's gaze alternated from looking at the road, to her in the rearview mirror. "Well?"

"Just nightmares, Dean," Max shrugged, ignoring his gaze and staring out the window. "They're just nightmares."

"That are getting to be just as bad as Sam's nightmares about Jessica," Dean said, glancing at his sound-asleep brother.

Sam muttered something under his breath, fidgeted for a few minutes to get comfortable, then went motionless again, still fast asleep.

Max sighed, "Where are we Dean?"

"Fifteen minutes inside Rochester," Dean said, checking his watch.

Max gave him the address of Dex's shop, and then closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth from the morning sunshine coming through the windows.


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

Dean pulled up outside the store, and read the sign, _Lily's Antiques. _"I thought you said Dex owned the store."

"He _runs_ the store," Max explained, getting out of the car. She rounded the car, and knocked on Sam's window. The younger Winchester jumped, and Max said, "Come on, let's get a move on!"

Dean rolled his eyes and glanced at Sam, who was yawning.

"We're here already?"

"We were here a half hour ago," Dean smirked. "Just got to this store. We're now on the job, college boy."

Sam rolled his eyes, and got out of the car. He and Dean met Max at the door, where all three walked in.

"Hey Lily! Dex! We're here!" Max called out.

A woman walked out from the back room, and Sam and Dean exchanged shocked looks. The woman looked like a near-identical twin to Max – except this woman looked to be about 30, with blue eyes instead of green, and the hair in her messy ponytail was brown instead of red.

"Max!" She smiled, "It's good to see you again."

"Well, Dex called, I answered," Max shrugged.

"So that's the only reason you came?" Lily frowned.

"Marilyn didn't want me to ever show my face around her again," Max frowned. "I did as she asked. Anytime I came back, I did the pick-ups and drop-offs, and then I was gone."

"Max…" Lily sighed.

"Look, Lily," Max cut her off. "Why did Dex ask me to come? I mean, I get the whole disappearance thing, but something tells me he had a double motive."

"Victoria's getting married," Lily told her.

"So, what does that have to do with me?" Max asked.

"Well, you two used to be such good friends—"

"_Used_ to be," Max said, "Past tense, Lily."

"That," Lily sighed, "And we think Victoria and her fiancé are the next targets."

Dean cleared his throat, making the two finally notice them. "Look, I understand there are some family issues going on…but can you tell us what the hell is going on here?" He looked at Max, "Starting with why the hell she looks like your twin."

"Sorry," Max shook her head, "Lily, Dean and Sam Winchester." She turned to the boys, "This is my cousin, Lily. And Victoria is her sister, and Marilyn is their mother."

"And you think that Victoria's the next victim for…whatever it is we're dealing with?" Dean asked.

"You'll have to ask Dex on that one," Lily frowned, "I think he's imagining things to be perfectly honest."

"Big surprise," Max muttered.

"What?"

"Nothin'," Max answered, "So…where is good ol' Dex, anyway?"


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

"So…Max and her brother's aren't alone in the world," Sam shook his head, "Though apparently they like to pretend they are."

"Well, we don't know the whole story, either," Dean pointed out, sorting through his bag for the clothes needing to be washed.

"Makes me wonder though," Sam continued.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Well, she said she used to live in Arizona, and she had the friend we helped…" He shrugged, "Just makes me wonder if she had family there too, but didn't mention it."

"I don't know," Dean shrugged. "Anyway, got anything?"

"No," Sam frowned, "I don't know what preys on newlyweds. There's a long list of things…and until Max gets what she needs from Dex, I don't know how to narrow the list down."

"How do we know it's not Dex really doing it?" Dean rolled his eyes.

"Ah, we don't," Sam admitted, "But why would you think that?"

"Just a theory," Dean shrugged. "Lord knows nothing's ever easy, who knows who's on whose side." He checked the pocket of a dirty shirt, and his hand closed around a tiny, velvet box.

"What?" Sam asked, noticing the look on his brother's face.

Dean dropped the shirt as if it burned him, and looked at Sam, "What?"

"Dude…you freaked out over a shirt," Sam frowned. The box had fallen out of the pocket, and landed on the bedspread, "And what is that?"

Dean made a dive for the box, but Sam grabbed it first, and opened it.

He raised his eyebrows, "A ring, Dean?"

Dean snatched the ring out of Sam's hand, "Dude, that's a complete invasion of privacy!"

"The box was on the bedspread, in plain view!" Sam told him. "That's not an invasion of privacy!"

"Opening the box was," Dean shot back.

Sam rolled his eyes, "So…you got Max a ring."

"It was the damn jeweler," Dean protested. "Wouldn't let me leave the damn store without buying something, and I wasn't payin' thirty-five hundred dollars for a stupid snake ring, and I couldn't get him off the idea—"

"Dean, breathe," Sam cut him off.

Dean sat on the bed, and shoved the ring box into a small side pocket of his duffel bag. "It's just a ring, dude. Simple…ring."

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "I know that." He thought for a minute, "Are you going to give it to her?"

"Maybe," Dean didn't meet his gaze. "I don't know."

"Okay…" Sam frowned, "And when…_if_…you give your ring to Max, what will it mean?"

"Eh?" Dean asked.

"You know what I'm talkin' about," Sam folded his arms.

"Once again," Dean said, getting to his feet. He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, "I _don't_ know."


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

"I don't know if they're really targets or not," Dex admitted, going through drawers. "But they're the only ones who are set to be married at this particular time."

"When all the deaths took place?" Max asked. She sat at a table in the store, watching Dex rummage through his things.

"Right, right," Dex nodded.

"Dex," Max frowned, "You didn't make up this ghost to get me here, did you?"

Dex froze, "Me? Make something up? Come on Max, you know me better than that."

Max raised her eyebrows at Dex, and the man sighed. He walked over to the table and leaned on it, across from her.

"All right, I'll level with ya," he said.

"Make it good, or me and the boys are outta here," Max said.

Dex frowned, "What happened to your face?"

Max's hand flew to the scratches, "Dex, what is going on here?"

"Right, sorry," Dex shook his head. "Look, Victoria said she wanted you to come. She felt bad about the rift and is trying to fix it."

"Ten years too late," Max told him.

"That's what I told her," Dex agreed. "But she wanted to try and make peace. And I knew the only way you'd even consider coming out here, besides for a delivery, is for a ghost thing."

"True," Max admitted.

"So, I went to looking up things that could be ghost-related. I wasn't going to make up a story like that; I'd get an ass kicking from Lily if I did, despite her disbelief in the whole ghost thing."

"Let's start with the facial marks," Max smirked. "Because shadow demons are really nasty. Exhibit A," she said, pointing at the scratches.

"Max, she's not going to believe you anyway," Dex sighed. "Anyway, that was when I found out about the newlyweds."

"Who get killed by this ghost or something," Max finished. She grimaced, "Either way I'm going dress shopping aren't I?"

Dex smiled, "Unless you want to boycott the wedding as a sign of protest."

"Lily's got a big mouth," Max sighed. "Does Victoria know?"

"No," Dex shook his head.

Max rubbed her eyes; "All right…what are we looking for exactly?"

"All right," Dex grinned from ear to ear before he placed a file on the desk, and opened it. "This man, Joe Kane, dies at one-thirty the day he's going to get married."

"And?"

"And," Dex said, "Another article states he got married at three-thirty that same day. His wife, a gorgeous woman, vibrant blonde hair, red lips, stunning blue eyes—"

"Ahem," Max cleared her throat.

"Sorry, the story goes, he comes to his wedding all beat up, looks like he's wasted," Dex continued, "They get into the limo, that takes them to the reception. Except when the limo pulls up to the place ol' Joe's gone, and his wife's dead, blonde hair as white as snow, skin pale as a sheet."

"And it was the same thing every time?" Max asked.

"Yeah," Dex nodded. "Same type of girl too. Blonde hair, blue eyes, red lips…"

"Which pretty much describes Victoria," Max admitted, "Unless she's changed, ten years is—"

"Blonde haired, blue eyes, red lips," Dex told her. "She's pretty much a target if I'm right about this."

"Lovely," Max sighed. "Where's Victoria?"

"The dress shop," Dex answered. "You can't miss it…down the street and make a left."

"Thanks," Max said, and got to her feet. "I'll come by later, grab that file…or I'll have one of the boys do it."

"So, I take it you're goin' out with one of them," Dex grinned.

"See yah later, Dex," Max shook her head, and walked out the door. She took the direction that Dex had given her, down the street, and made a left, and the dress shop was halfway down the strip-mall. "He was right…can't miss it."

"Hey, wait!"

Max frowned, and turned around, "I thought you were waiting for me at the motel with Sam."

Dean caught up to her, "Yeah, well…I was bored…decided to get some air."

Max raised her eyebrows, "And the disagreement happened before or after you went out for air?"

"It wasn't a disagreement," Dean shrugged, "It…was a discussion."

"From which you stormed out and left Sam to research whatever we're hunting," Max smiled.

Dean opened his mouth, and then closed it again. Finally, he said, "I didn't _storm_ out."

"Eh…" Max said, and frowned, "Do you own a suit?"

Dean raised his eyebrows, "Okay, random, why do I need a suit?"

"Part of the reason we got roped in to coming here," Max sighed, "Have to make an appearance at my cousin's wedding."

"I thought you didn't want to deal with your cousin," Dean frowned.

"Yeah, well," Max sighed, "Lily's got a big mouth. Plus, Dex thinks this thing is gonna go after her and her fiancé."

"So…we have to…what, exactly?" Dean frowned.

"Go to a wedding," Max said, "Either way, I'm stuck on the guest list."

Dean frowned, "So…why are we in front of a dress store?"

"Gotta find a dress," Max shrugged. "Besides…rumor has it my cousin's inside."

"So…you're going in there?" Dean asked. "In the dress store?"

Max grabbed onto his hand, and dragged him inside.

"I really should…." Dean trailed off, seeing the blonde near the mirror. "Why do all your cousins look like you?"

"Our mothers all looked the same," Max shrugged, dragging him over to the shorter, blonde haired blue eyed version of herself.

The blonde was joking with her friends, "You know, maybe I should wear the straps like this," she pushed the elastic straps onto her shoulders, "You know, like a nerd?" She laughed and snorted to emphasize her point.

"I got a pair of glasses you can borrow," Max told her.

Victoria turned, frowning, "Max? Oh my god!" She ran forward and threw her arms around her cousin.

Max grunted as the wind was knocked out of her, "Hey…Victoria…"

"My god…it's been years!" Victoria smiled. "Does this mean the fight's over?"

"Well, that lasted long, didn't it?" Max frowned, breaking out of her cousin's embrace. "When Aunt Marilyn decides to apologize, I'll be ready to hear it."

"Max, it's been ten years," Victoria sighed, "I think it's time to forgive and forget."

"Well, if she hadn't wanted nothing to do with me—"

"Okay," Dean cut in, and then muttered, "Weird twisted family."

Victoria raised her eyebrows at him, "Who is this?"

"Victoria, this is my boyfriend, Dean," Max said, "And vice-versa."

Victoria frowned, "Last time I heard from you…what happened to Dylan?"

"Dead," Max answered simply.

"My god, what happened?" Victoria frowned.

"Got ripped apart by vampires," Max shrugged.

"Max…I don't think it's right to keep talking about childhood delusions…especially in front of your boyfriend," Victoria sighed, shaking her head in sympathy. "Max has always had a wild imagination…what happened to your faces?"

"A shadow demon sent after us by this creepy blonde chick," Dean smirked.

Victoria's eyes widened, "Oh…you know about the weird…stuff…"

"How do you think we met?" Max rolled her eyes.

"So…" Victoria smiled, "What do you think of my ring?" She held out her hand, showing off a ring with a large diamond on it.

Max forced a smile; "Wow…it's…pretty…"

"Uh Max," Dean said, "I uh…have to do…that thing."

"What?" Max asked.

"That…_thing_," Dean frowned, "You know…the important thing that can't wait?"

"Oh…_that_ thing," Max nodded. "While you're at it, go see Dex about the other thing."

"Right," Dean agreed, and hurried out the door. "I'll wait for you there."

Max shook her head then walked over to a rack of regular dresses.

"So…you're coming to the wedding?" Victoria asked.

"You want me to?" Max asked, "'Cause I can leave—"

"No, no, no!" Victoria shook her head; "I want you to stay. You always said you'd be at my wedding with bells on!"

"Vicky, I was twelve," Max shook her head. "So…next week, huh?"

"Yeah," Victoria nodded, going back to looking at her reflection.

"Uh, Victoria?" One of her friends said.

"Oh…" Victoria shook her head, "Max, these are my friends, Janice, Lilah, and Monica."

Instantly Max thought back to Queen Monica, and had to suppress a shiver. Victoria was still talking to her friends, "And this is my cousin Max."

"The one whose mom died in a fire?" Monica frowned.

Victoria's eyes widened and Max frowned.

"No…my mom died in a plane crash…my _aunt_ died in a fire," Max frowned.

"No…aunts," Victoria said quickly, "Remember? Mom told us Aunt Kelsey died in a fire too…back in…what was it '83?"

"Oh…yeah…" Max nodded, still frowning. She noticed Victoria jab Monica with her elbow. "Except it was in 1982."

"Oh yeah…" Victoria frowned. "Anyway…"

"You ain't getting a gift…" Max went back to her browsing. "Don't have time to get one."

"You're gonna be there, that's enough," Victoria said.

* * *

Max slung the dress-bag over her shoulder as she left with Victoria.

"So…" Victoria frowned, "Aunt Kelsey really died in '82?"

Max frowned, "Okay…random…what brought that on?"

"You seemed pretty certain earlier," Victoria shrugged. "Just curious."

"February 13, 1982," Max told her. "My mother told me."

Victoria looked away from her at that statement and said nothing.

"What?" Max asked.

"Nothing," Victoria said. "Nothing at all."

Max rolled her eyes, "Fine."

"So…what was the fight about?" Victoria asked.

"Victoria," Max sighed, "Look, Marilyn didn't want anything to do with me or my brothers. She'd rather I stayed away. So that's what I did."

"And why did you stop e-mailing?"

"Got busy," Max shrugged. "And I got my job as a bonded courier, plus, I do the whole ghost hunting thing…and Dylan handed me over to the Thrall…"

"So…when you said he'd been ripped apart—"

"I wasn't there," Max shrugged. "That's what Luke told me."

"Luke saw that?" Victoria shook her head, "Don't tell mom."

"Didn't plan to," Max frowned.

"There's something you don't know about my mom," Victoria said.

"I'm sure there is," Max agreed.

"She's gonna kill me for this," Victoria muttered. She looked at Max; "It's not that she didn't want anything to do with you and your brothers."

"Well," Max shrugged, "Aunt Melissa had to take us in because she wouldn't. She said it was because Marilyn wanted nothing to do with us."

"Wrong," Victoria shook her head; "She wanted nothing to do with _you_."


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

"I still can't believe you're showing your face around Aunt Marilyn in the first place," Charlie said over the phone line. "I mean, she never wanted anything to do with us when Aunt Melissa died."

"Oh, there's even more good news about that," Max said, shaking her head. She paced the bathroom while Dean and Sam slept outside in the main room. "She was more than willing to take care of the three of you. It was me she didn't want."

"Why didn't she want you?" The frown was evident in Charlie's voice.

"I don't know," Max shook her head. "Victoria wouldn't say."

"Maybe you should ask Lily," Charlie suggested. Then he paused, "Never mind…Victoria was the only trustworthy one there."

"She might tell me something," Max said thoughtfully.

"Max," Charlie sighed, "Don't make waves."

"When do I make waves?" Max asked, raising her eyebrows.

"You have a calendar we could check?" Dean's voice called from the other side of the door. Then it sounded as if something hit him and he shouted, "Ow!"

"Thanks, Captain Stealth!" Sam hissed.

Max's jaw dropped, and then she grabbed the towel from the rack on the wall, turned on the sink water, and soaked the towel. She then opened the door, and whipped it, hitting both brothers simultaneously.

"Gah!" Both went backward.

"Go back to bed," Max snapped and kicked the door closed.

Charlie was laughing on the other end of the call, "I don't know what you did but it sounded funny."

"Can't get a moment of privacy anywhere," Max grumbled. "Well, we're gonna be here for a while, at least until Victoria's wedding."

"I can't even believe that Victoria's getting married," Charlie said. "Yet…for some reason, I _can_ believe she's the target of something."

"Sad, isn't it?" Max asked, sitting on the bathroom counter.

"Yeah…"

Max sighed, "Lily probably won't tell me…but she might know something…I mean, the only ones who are still alive that could know something from the past are Lily and Aunt Marilyn…huh…"

"What?" Charlie asked.

"I think I know a reason why Aunt Marilyn's so angry at the world," Max sighed again, "She was the oldest, right? I mean, our grandparents died a few years before Mom and Dad did…Aunt Kelsey died, Aunt Melissa died, so did Mom, obviously…she's the only one left."

"Never did look at it that way," Charlie said thoughtfully. "How did Aunt Kelsey die?"

"House fire," Max answered. "'Least, that's what I was told. Mom always said, _'It was a house fire, that's all you need to know.'_"

"Mom was the only one that wasn't killed in a house fire," Charlie said, "Did you notice that?"

"Yeah, I did," Max nodded. "Well…"

"Well what?" Charlie asked.

"You're right," Max shook her head; "Mom was the only one that wasn't killed in a fire."

Charlie hesitated, "Good night Max…and I guess I just realized something else."

"What's that?"

"Victoria, Lily, and Aunt Marilyn aren't the only ones keeping secrets," Charlie said, then hung up.

Max sighed, and closed her phone. "You have no idea." She walked back into the room, and sat on the edge of Dean's bed, tossing her phone from hand to hand.

"So…" Dean said as he sat against the headboard with his arms folded over his chest. "What's with your family?"

"What isn't with my family?" Max asked, not even looking at him. "Or my mother's side at least."

"So…what weren't you telling Charlie?" Sam asked from the other bed.

Max didn't bother to answer, but stopped tossing her phone.

"Well?" Dean asked.

Max was silent for a few minutes, and then said, "My Aunt Melissa."

"Yeah, you keep saying she died in a fire."

"Well, she did," Max answered. "Kinda."

"Kinda?" Sam frowned, "She either did, or she didn't."

"Okay, she didn't," Max snapped. "That what you want to know?"

Sam and Dean exchanged looks.

Max rolled her eyes, and sighed. "The demon came after Luke."

"Demon?" Dean repeated.

"_The_ demon?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Max shook her head, and rubbed the back of her neck, "Guess it just goes after everybody, doesn't it?" She sighed again, "Demon killed my aunt, burned down the house. I'm fourteen years old, I know nobody's gonna believe she was pinned to the ceiling, and was dead before she burned…so I just said she died in the fire. Totally believable, after all, house burned down."

Sam hesitated, "So…nobody knows that it was the demon?"

"Nope," Max said. "Never told any of them. Been debating whether or not to tell Charlie…don't know if I should tell Luke or Noah yet."

"How did you know it was the demon?" Dean frowned. "You've said you weren't really into this ghost-hunting thing until a few years ago."

Max turned around and glared at him, "When something that's tall, wears a black trench coat, and has no other distinguishing qualities, looks at you with a pair of glowing orange eyes, before dissipating into thin air, you kinda realize this thing ain't human." She looked away again, "You told me about your mother and Jess…and I put two and two together."

"Did your Aunt Kelsey die the same way?" Dean asked quietly.

"Aunt Kelsey…I don't even know," Max shook her head; "I was a baby when that happened…and all I was told was that she died in a house fire. Could be the same, might not be. I don't know what the demon's preference is, and I don't know what happened that night."

"So," Sam sighed, "We can deduce from the very little evidence we have that the demon was, or is, after me, and Luke, apparently, and was after Max Miller."

"And the general theory," Max said, "Is that it's because you guys have psychic abilities?"

"Is Luke a spoon-bender?" Dean asked.

"Jeez, he's not an Alakazam!" Max snapped.

It went quiet for a few minutes.

"A what?" Dean asked.

Max's face darkened, "Never mind…point is, no, he's not a freakin' spoon-bender!"

"But," Sam prompted; knowing there was more.

"He's kind of like me, I guess," Max said hesitantly, "I mean, I was having dreams, and it was borderline déjà vu…then it sort of developed. I don't know if Luke is going to get premonitions, or if he's just gonna get dreams, then see random things and remember them."

"Well, I guess we can be reasonably sure he's gonna get something," Dean cut in. "If you're the other psychic wonder, why didn't it go after you?"

"Good question," Max nodded, "And a creepy one."

"Yeah…probably not the best one," Dean frowned.

"I don't know, though," Max shook her head. "My mother was alive until I was fourteen, and I know Aunt Melissa wasn't Luke's mother. I don't know all the answers…but Charlie's right, those three aren't the only ones keeping secrets."

It was quiet for a while after that. Someone upstairs had his or her television turned on full blast, though nothing was comprehendible. The sink in the bathroom dripped every four seconds, and the light bulb flickered every three.

"So…" Dean finally said, "You think your cousin Lily might know?"

"I think Victoria knows," Max said, "I just don't think anyone will tell me…I'm trying anyway, but it's a losing battle, I know that." She opened her phone, "Three a.m.…great, another sleepless night."

"At least this one wasn't spent pacing the halls till dawn," Sam pointed out.

"Or she did sleep, had a nightmare, and kicked me," Dean grimaced.

"Was that why you were talking like a girl three weeks ago?" Sam asked, smirking.

Dean rolled his eyes, "Shut up."

Max shook her head, and then moved up onto the bed beside Dean, "I know a way so you won't get kicked where it hurts."

"What way?" Dean asked skeptically.

Max shoved him off the bed with her legs and Dean hit the floor with a thud.

"Ow!" Dean snapped.

"At least you didn't get kicked where it hurts," Max smirked, dropping a pillow and shoving the bedspread onto the floor for him.

Sam laughed at the sight and Dean flashed him the finger before disappearing on the other side of the bed.


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

"You didn't have to come with me you know," Max scowled the next morning.

"Charlie said don't make waves," Sam pointed out.

"Yeah, and?" Max asked.

"You're a walking hurricane," Dean said, ringing the doorbell then grunted when Max shoved her elbow into his side.

The door opened and Victoria stood in the doorway. "Max…what are you doing here?"

"Hoping we could talk to you and Lily…can we come in?" Max smiled innocently.

"Yeah, sure," Victoria frowned, and stood to the side, letting the trio in. "So…I've met Dean, who is the tall guy?"

Max looked up at Sam, "Dean's younger brother, Sam."

"He's the little brother," Victoria said skeptically.

"Yeah, weird, isn't it?" Max shook her head. "Either way…both of 'em make me feel short."

"I'll bet," Victoria shook her head as well, and led them into her living room. "I'll go find Lily…she's upstairs I think."

Max sighed as Victoria vanished up the stairs, "What's gonna be coming first? The fact she's the possible target of a spirit? Or what the hell is the big family secret that everyone seems to know but us O'Reilly's?"

"Neither one is a great icebreaker," Dean admitted. "What do you think, Sam?"

"Your mom and her sisters," Sam said, standing near the fireplace, "They all look the same…"

Max rolled her eyes and walked over to stand beside him, "Not really, my mom and Aunt Melissa were brunettes, Aunt Marilyn was blonde, and Aunt Kelsey was the weird strawberry blonde that nobody could figure out."

Sam glanced from her to a color picture of Kelsey; "You look more like her than your mother."

"I was told I acted more like her, also saw that I acted more like my Aunt Agatha than my mother," Max shrugged, "My family's just plain weird, genetics wise. All the girls look like clones and we all act like those who we're not…well…we don't act like our mothers." She frowned again, "No…wait…that's just me." She looked at Sam; "Maybe I'm just the freak."

"Yeah, but you're our freak," Dean joked. "Then again, we're all freaks."

"Speak for yourself," Lily's voice came from behind them. "I consider myself perfectly normal, thank you very much."

"Actually, he was referring to the three of us," Max said, motioning to herself, Dean, and Sam. "You weren't really in the equation there."

"What do you want, Max?" Lily said in exasperation.

"Lots a things," Max admitted. "But this has to deal with Aunt Marilyn."

"_What_ about Aunt Marilyn?" An older woman's voice asked. Marilyn looked like she did in the picture, though she had aged thirty years since then, at least, and her blonde hair was streaked with gray. "Great, it's you."

"Hey, what do you all got against Max?" Dean snapped.

"It's none of your business," Marilyn snapped at him.

"But it's probably Max's," Sam pointed out.

"Max is the cause of all of this," Marilyn snapped. "Everything that's happened over the years is her fault."

Max frowned, "How?"

"Do some research, Maxine," Marilyn said, "Hell, look up your little ghost things, go chasing your delusional fantasies."

Max raised her eyebrows; "I take it we were just thrown out?"

"Out on your ass," Lily nodded.

"Uh-huh," Max nodded, and said, "Come on guys."

Sam and Dean followed, though Dean cast a few death-glares at the three. Max paused by the door, "By the way, Victoria, we think you're gonna die on your wedding day…because of one of those delusional fantasies. Have a nice day." She said, and closed the door behind them.

"Ooh…burn…" Dean grimaced.

"Yeah, well," Max sighed, "Not sure what she means, it's all my fault. What? I killed her sisters somehow? Like, I was some pyromaniac, burned Aunt Melissa's house down? Became some Wicca-person and crashed the plane my parents were on? And how about Aunt Kelsey…I'd love to see how she blames me for that!"

"You'd be surprised at what she can find fault in," Victoria said, closing the door behind her. "You've got her furious at you, by the way."

"What's the difference?" Max asked, "She already hated me."

"True," Victoria agreed. "But you don't know the whole story."

"Well, what is the whole story?" Max asked.

"Later, later," Victoria said, "Why do you think something's going to come after me?"

"Not just you," Max said, "You and your fiancé."

"Actually," Dean cut in, "We think it'll go after your fiancé first."

"Then tell it to Tom," Victoria told him. "Follow me to his place."

"Tom?" Max asked.

"More masculine than _Dean_," Victoria smirked.

"Hey!" Dean snapped defensively.

"Eh, shut up and get in the car," Max rolled her eyes, heading for the Impala.

"That your car, Max?" Victoria asked.

Max raised her eyebrows, "Hell no. Got a Ford truck back in Denver…" Then she whirled on Dean, "And you owe me for a car wash, Winchester!"

Dean started laughing, and walked past her to the car.

"Why does he owe you for that?" Sam asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You know that paint people use to write things on their cars?" Max asked. When Sam nodded, she continued, "Somebody thought it would be funny to write _Chevy rules, Ford drools_ on my truck. On the windows, on the tailgate, everywhere."

Dean opened the door, then yelled and jumped backward three feet.

Both Sam and Victoria burst out laughing.

Max grinned, walked over to the driver's seat, and picked up a realistic-looking fake rat. Dean glared at her, but cringed at the sight of the fake rat, "Do _not_ touch my truck again, _Winston._"

"Ugh…" Victoria grimaced, her laughter gone, "_1984_ reference…that book was freaky as hell." She squinted at the rat, "Hey, isn't that Frank?"

"Yep," Max smiled wider. "I still think he looks like Scabbers from the _Harry Potter_ movies." She ended with a shrug; "He's a cute little rat though."

"Yeah, but Dean hates rats," Sam said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

Dean glared at him next, "All right…we've had our fun, let's go meet this Tom guy and explain the situation."

"All right, but you gotta follow me, I'm not giving out the directions. You get lost, that's your problem, not mine," Victoria said, getting into her car.

"Déjà vu," Sam said, getting into the Impala.

* * *

Victoria pulled into the driveway of a nice-looking two-story house. The lawn was green, well kept, devoid of weeds. The house looked like all the others on the block, just a row of cookie-cutter houses.

"I thought they did away with the cookie-cutters," Dean frowned, parking at the curb.

"Guess not," Max grimaced, and got out as well. She looked at the driveway, and saw the big, black convertible parked there. "Where have I seen that car before?"

"It's a replica from the show _Angel_," Victoria said. "They sold them when the show was cancelled."

"So…you're marrying a rich dude," Max raised her eyebrows.

"Well, that's not _why_ I'm marrying him," Victoria said in defense. "Besides, this is his roommate's car; his roommate was a huge _Angel_ junkie."

"So then where's Tom's car?" Max asked.

Victoria frowned, "Huh…David must've borrowed it."

Max shared a glance with Dean and Sam. They silently agreed something wasn't right here.

The three walked into the main room, and Victoria closed the door behind her.

"Tom! You've got company!" She called out.

A tall man with sandy blonde hair walked into the room, "Hey Vicky…who are your friends?"

"This is my cousin Max," Victoria smiled at him, " Her boyfriend Dean, and his brother Sam."

"Nice to meet you," Tom smiled. "Wow…the resemblance…"

Max and Victoria looked at each other, "Yeah, it's freaky."

"So…what's up?" Tom asked Victoria.

"They need to talk to us about something," Victoria replied.


	8. Chapter 8

* * *

"And that's about it."

They sat in Tom's living room, Victoria and Tom on the loveseat, while Sam, Dean, and Max sat across from them on the sofa. They'd tried to explain the situation the best of their abilities, no matter how strange the truth sounded.

"So…" Tom said, "You say there's someone that can hurt Victoria?"

"Not someone," Sam frowned, "Some_thing_."

"Something…like a demon?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah, like a demon," Max nodded. "We're here to destroy it, that's what we do."

"Destroy it?" Tom asked.

"Yeah," Max nodded, "Whatever it is…"

Victoria frowned, "Uh, Max…can I see you in the kitchen for a second?"

Max blinked, "Sure, all right."

She followed her cousin into the kitchen, where she said, "Ease up on the killin' of the supernatural, will ya?"

Max frowned, "I said we'd destroy it, not much more than that."

"Max, Tom is a…um…" Victoria trailed off.

"A what?" Max asked, raising her eyebrows.

"He's a werewolf," Victoria whispered.

"Lycanthrope?" Max supplied.

"Yeah," Victoria nodded.

"Ah," Max actually laughed at this. "We don't hunt Lycanthropes. A few of my best friends are Lycanthropes. One's the Acca of Denver. Sam and Dean won't hurt Tom." She frowned, "But why didn't Dex tell me?"

"None of them know," Victoria shrugged. "I've met Rochester's Acca; we've got the whole thing planned out."

"So…we're not really needed here," Max said. "You guys can tell the wolves, and let that be that."

"But Max, I thought—"

"I'm a woman of my word, Victoria," Max folded her arms, "I'll be at your wedding. Suffice it to say, I have no idea how we're gonna stop this thing."

"But you said—"

"I don't know what it is," Max sighed. "I guess I'll have to dig into the past."

"Maybe some things are better left buried," Victoria frowned, and walked out of the room.

Max frowned, "What?" She turned and followed Victoria.

"You're off the hook, Tom," Victoria smiled, sitting down beside him.

"What's she talkin' about?" Dean asked Max.

"Tom's a Lycanthrope," Max explained.

"Vicky, that's a secret!" Tom hissed.

"Relax, we've dealt with Lycanthropes before," Max shrugged. "We don't go after you guys. A few good friends of mine are Lycanthropes."

Tom smiled, "That's a good thing, I guess. At least you guys know what we can and can't do."

Max nodded, as her cell phone began to ring. She answered it, "Yeah?" She listened for a few minutes, "Really? How…are you sure? All right…all right…we'll be there as soon as we can."

"Who was that?" Dean asked, as Max closed up her phone.

"That was Dex," Max answered, putting the phone in her pocket. "He thinks he knows what we're goin' up against."

* * *

"John Charrington?" Max asked, skimming over the marked chapter in the book.

"Look, not him exactly, but the story fits the theory," Dex said. "These murders have been going on for about twenty years, right?"

"Sure," Max frowned.

"Anyway," Dex continued, "One man, the articles haven't given out his name, but he lived in New York City, and the stories all say he promised his wife nothing would stop him from marrying her. Same time as the others died."

"So…why's he here then?" Max asked, "Why not in New York City?"

"I think it's because he was married here," Dex said.

"So, we've got to go find this guy, burn his bones, and hopefully this will be over?" Dean asked.

"Well…"

"Dex, either it is, or it won't be," Victoria said.

"I think, maybe, you need to follow the story," Dex explained. "Max and Victoria can stay here; Dean and Sam can take Tom with them to New York City, look up the guy, burn his bones, and come back in time for your wedding."

"Why do we have to take him with us?" Sam asked.

"Can't we just burn the bones, and leave it at that?" Dean chimed in.

"John Charrington left for another town before his wedding," Dex explained. "Came back right before. I'm no ghost hunter, and I don't know the ins and outs of this stuff. But you might need to follow the story."

Dean sighed, "All right…but he's doin' the diggin'."

Max smirked, "I'm takin' the Impala."

Dean glared, "You ain't drivin' my baby ever again!"

The keys jangled from Max's fingers, "Guess again, buddy boy."

Dean felt his pockets, "How did—"

"It's a Kelly thing," Max and Victoria replied at the same time. Max shoved the Impala keys in her pocket, as Victoria began going through a brown leather wallet.

"Victoria," Tom said, holding out his hand.

Victoria scowled, and tossed him the wallet; "You're no fun."

"No, I need my wallet," Tom scowled as well.

Dean turned to Max, and held out his hand, "Well?"

"I'm not as easy as my cousin," Max said, shaking her head. Then she frowned, "Wait…" She held up a finger, "That didn't come out right."

"So," Victoria spoke up, blushing from Max's comment, "You guys goin' or not?"

Dean looked at Sam, "Guess we have no choice."

"You guys can take the _Angel_-mobile," Victoria suggested, "I just made up that thing about his roommate…didn't know…"

"Thanks for volunteering my car, Vicky," Tom said. "But we can use it…don't know how well it runs…can't drive it."

"Why not?" Dex asked.

Tom frowned, "Um…I didn't buy it to drive. Mostly just to look at, you know?"

Dex frowned, and gave Tom a weird look.

"Okay," Max now cut the awkward silence, "So…when are you guys goin'?"

The men looked at each other, "Morning sounds good…sooner we get there, sooner we find what we need, sooner we can get back," Dean answered.

"Alrighty then," Max nodded.


	9. Chapter 9

* * *

_ Max walked through a house, though to the best of her knowledge she'd never been here. She was on the second floor, walking down a hall. Moonlight came in through a few windows, illuminating the walls. There were a few pictures on the wall, of her parents. She figured it was probably a year or two after they got married, judging by how young they looked in the pictures. _

_ There was a door that stood ajar at the end of the hall, and Max headed toward it. A girl – she had to be eighteen or nineteen – beat her to the door, and walked in. As far as Max could tell, it was a nursery. _

_ A black figure stood near the baby's crib._

_ "Oh my god…" Max muttered. _

_ The girl didn't hear her, and let out a high pitched scream, "Rosemary!" _

_ Then she was on the ceiling. Blood began dripping from her stomach and she screamed something at the demon before it vanished. _

_ Max's mother came into the room, frowning, "Kelsey?" She walked over to the baby's crib, and chuckled, "You didn't see where your mother went, did you…" She trailed off before saying the baby's name, "I can't believe she calls you that…it's too boyish…"_

_ The baby reached for the ceiling, as Kelsey made one last sound, more of a gasp for air. Rosemary looked just in time to see Kelsey burst into flames. _

Max woke with a gasp, sitting up in the bed. Her arm went to where Dean was lying, finding only empty air. "What…?"

She shook her head; "No…Dean's gone…he left a few days ago, dipstick…" Max shook her head, and got out of bed. "How hard is it to find a freakin' corpse?"

Max walked out of the room, and the clock at the end of the hall chimed two a.m. She sighed, and walked down the hall, and down the stairs, seeing a light on in the kitchen.

"I thought you were supposed to be sleeping," Max said, finding Victoria sitting in the kitchen with a bottle of wine. "And I thought that was for a different occasion."

"Sleeping would be easier if I was getting married tomorrow," Victoria said, downing a glass of wine. "They haven't torched the bones yet…they're not gonna be home in time."

Max was about to say something, when her cell phone rang. It was on the kitchen counter, charging, but now it was ringing. Max checked the caller ID, and smiled, flipping the phone open, "Yes Dean?"

* * *

"So, this Sara girl lives nearby," Tom said, holding the lantern up. "You should probably go see her."

"Plan to," Sam admitted, leaning against his shovel. "Just haven't really…had the time to think about it…"

Dean sighed, and wiped the sweat off his face, "Hey ladies, can you shut up and give me a hand here?"

Sam frowned, and looked into the hole, "Looks like the grave's been dug, Dean."

"No thanks to you!" Dean snapped, and broke through the coffin with the shovel. "Can you at least give me the rock salt and lighter fluid?"

Sam tossed the things down to his brother, who covered the bones in both substances, then climbed out of the hole. Dean held out a box of matches, "You gotta toast them. I've done everything else."

Sam rolled his eyes, and lit a match, tossing it into the hole. The bones went up, burning quickly.

Dean pulled out his cell phone, and Sam raised his eyebrows, "What are you doing?"

Dean looked at him, "You see, Sam, this thing's called a cell phone. I'm dialing these buttons with numbers on them—"

"Who are you calling?" Sam cut him off.

"Max," Dean said, as if it were obvious. "Let her know we're comin' back."

"Won't she be pissed that you're calling at two in the morning?"

"Max will be awake," Dean told him. "She always is at two a.m." the line rang a few times, before Max picked up.

"Yes Dean?"

"How did I know you'd be awake?" Dean asked, smirking at Sam.

"'Cause I haven't gotten a good night's sleep for a few weeks now," Max admitted.

"That could be it," Dean sighed. "Anyway, we just torched the bones. Some guy named Willard Jones…anyway; we'll be headin' out in the morning."

Max paused for a minute; "It _is_ morning, Dean."

"Okay then, miss literal," Dean said irritably, "We'll be back before the wedding. Happy?"

"Not really," Max admitted, "But it's a start."

"Goodnight Max," Dean told her.

"Goodnight Dean," Max yawned, and ended the call.

Dean rolled his eyes, and put his cell phone back in his pocket.

Max closed the phone, and placed it back on the counter.

"So…they're coming home?" Victoria asked hopefully.

"Yep," Max nodded. "They're comin' home."

Victoria smiled, but it faded quickly, "You said you haven't been getting a good night's sleep…"

"Look, its just nightmares," Max told her. Victoria raised an eyebrow, "Really…it's only—"

"Max," Victoria said, "I've known you for all my life. You never lose sleep over nightmares."

Max sighed in defeat. She sat at the counter, next to Victoria, and rested her head on her arms; "They've never been about people I care about."

Victoria sighed, "Then again…we haven't spoken in…well…a long time."

Max nodded, "There is that."

"They say talking about your problems helps," Victoria suggested.

Max turned to face her, and cocked an eyebrow, "If neither were taken, I'd tell you go with Sam…he's always in the sharing and caring mood…well…most of the time."

"And Dean isn't?" Victoria asked.

"Have you never met this man?" Max shot back. She frowned, "Scratch that. But no…Dean doesn't share his feelings…likes to avoid chick-flick moments."

"I can see why he likes you then," Victoria said.

"What?"

"Well…" Victoria hesitated, "You're sympathetic, and a good listener. But face it, anytime someone wanted to talk about it, you'd get flustered and make jokes. And you were never good at talking about your problems; it came out in one long ramble. Plus, you always said after you were done you just spent that whole time whining about little things."

Max looked at her, and blinked, "You done?"

"Not quite," Victoria said, "Point is, your dreams aren't getting any easier, right? And I'm assuming you don't tell anyone about the dreams, not the Winchester brothers, or our cousins…"

"Your cousins," Max corrected.

"What?" Victoria asked, confused.

"You said _our_ cousins…they're your cousins, my brothers," Max frowned.

"Oh, right…" Victoria shook her head, "Sorry…"

Max fidgeted, "Uh…did Aunt Kelsey have a kid?"

Victoria jumped at the statement, "What?"

"Did Aunt Kelsey have a kid?"

Victoria scoffed, "Max…I'm younger than you, but even I know that Aunt Kelsey was only like…nineteen when she died!" She frowned, "What brought that on?"

"You know…um…" Max frowned, "It's weird…some of the people on my dad's side of the family…"

"What?" Victoria asked.

"I'm psychic," Max said hesitantly. "And…I think Luke is too…and sometimes…I get these visions…"

Victoria looked nervous, "Is that why you get the nightmares?"

"These ones haven't been visions," Max shook her head, "They change too often…but this one I had tonight…"

"What?"

"Well…I mean…I was in an old house…had to be one my parents lived in…I saw Aunt Kelsey…how I think she died."

"In a fire?"

Max frowned, "She burned on the ceiling…this demon kills people like that…we're not sure why yet…it killed Dean and Sam's mother, and Sam's girlfriend…and Aunt Melissa."

Victoria frowned, "You said she died in a…never mind."

Max's frown deepened, and something clicked in her mind. "No…that can't be…" She muttered.

"What?"

Max shook her head, "So Kelsey didn't have any children?"

"Again, Max," Victoria shook her head, "Nineteen."

"Doesn't mean anything," Max said, "You still haven't given me a yes or no answer."

"I'm going to bed," Victoria said firmly. "I'm not talking about this anymore."

"Victoria, it's important!" Max protested, getting to her feet.

"Max, you're digging up stuff that was buried a long time ago!" Victoria snapped. "I don't know all the answers. I really didn't want to know that two of my aunts were killed by a demon…that can go after anyone he chooses!"

"We don't know—"

"Max," Victoria cut her off. "I don't want to talk about this anymore, understand? Aunt Kelsey was nineteen, and she died. I don't know anymore than that, _goodnight!_"

Max sighed, "Why do I get the feeling that I already know the answers?"


	10. Chapter 10

* * *

"So…" Victoria said, taking a deep breath. "Stuff's ready…boys should be returning in a little bit…everything's fine."

Max frowned, arms folded, leaning against the doorframe. "Sure, fine, whatever."

Victoria turned to her, "Max…really. Just…I'm not the one that can fill in the blanks."

"I understand that," Max said, grimacing.

"Seriously, Max," Victoria rambled on; "It's not a good thing—"

"Victoria!" Max shouted, "Shut up!" She gripped at her head, as she felt the vision hit.

_"Dude, I don't get why I don't get to drive," Dean griped from the passenger seat._

_ "Because all the way here you griped about how much you missed your precious Impala," Tom said from the backseat. _

_ "And got us lost about three times," Sam pointed out. "For a guy that spends most of his time driving cross country, you've got a bad sense of direction."_

_ "How 'bout we put the blame on the man that was holding the map and spewing out the directions, huh?" Dean snapped. _

_ Sam rolled his eyes, "Whatever, dude."_

_ Dean shrugged, "Hey, don't get mad at me 'cause you've got a bad sense of direction."_

Max blinked, and squinted in the light, "I just had a vision…"

"Okay Cordelia," Victoria asked, "What was your vision?"

"Pretty useless," Max grimaced, making her way toward the kitchen counter, "I saw the guys. Sitting in the car…Sam and Dean were arguing."

"That's it?" Victoria frowned, "That's useful."

Max paused, gripping the counter, "Oh no…"

"What?"

Max tipped slightly, and said, "It's not over…" then lost her grip on the counter, and fell to the floor.

_"Okay, we're about ten minutes outside Rochester," Tom calculated, glancing at his watch. _

_ "Whoopee," Dean rolled his eyes, staring out the window. _

_ One long road suddenly split into an intersection. _

_ "Odd place for this," Tom commented, "I mean, you'd think it would be just one long—"_

_ A car came out of nowhere, hitting the car on the driver's side. The metal crunched as it was dented, the glass from the window cracked and shattered, and the tires squealed as they slid across the asphalt. _

_ Dean's head knocked against the rolled up window and he grimaced when the car came to a stop. Keeping his eyes closed until the pain subsided, he said, "All right, who's not dead, sound off."_

_ "Scary part is that you pulled that from a movie," Tom groaned, "Scarier part is that I know what movie it came from."_

_ "That's one," Dean counted, "Sam? You okay?" _

_ He didn't get a response. _

_ "Sam? Sam?" _


	11. Chapter 11

* * *

Victoria sat in 'the bride's room', nervously wringing her hands. "Maybe we should've waited until we got a call…"

"Victoria, they'll be here…or I'll get a hold of them," Max said, "Besides, I think Tom was fine…he was talking anyway…"

"Yeah, but they're not here yet," Victoria said.

Max rolled her eyes, and hit re-dial on her cell phone.

"And what if it doesn't stop with them?" Victoria asked, "I mean, what if it decides to come here…and kill us?"

Max pulled on the split side of her dress, where a knife was stashed in her garter, "Call me Jane Smith."

"Dye your hair darker, you might just pass for her," Victoria pointed out. "Replace that with a gun, you'll look like you're off the cover off the DVD."

Max looked in the mirror with raised eyebrows, "Okay, number one, I in no way, shape or form look like Angelina Jolie."

"Second?"

"The gun was too big," Max shrugged, gripping the phone tightly. She hit re-dial again, and growled, "Dean Winchester, you answer your damn phone or I'll—"

"Or you'll what, O'Reilly?"

Max jumped, not expecting Dean to actually pick up his phone; "It's about damn time!"

"Well…we kinda had a little accident," Dean said.

"Yeah, I know," Max said through gritted teeth. "I've still got the headache from it…nice use of the _Atlantis_ quote by the way."

"Sam, Sam!" Dean said from a distance, "There's a wall—"

"Ow!"

"There…" Dean sighed.

"What happened?" Max asked.

"Well, you know the story, something rammed the car," Dean explained. "Sam hit the window…got a few cuts, a concussion, and the side of his face is starting to swell…he can't see out of his left eye…"

"You do mean because it's swollen shut, right?" Max frowned.

"Yeah…" Dean said, and then called out, "Sam…watch out for the trashcan!"

"What?"

There was a thunk, and then Sam shouted, "Dammit!"

"We're leaving the hospital…god willing Sam doesn't fall down a flight of stairs or something…didn't think College Boy was that much of a klutz…"

"Just hope he never loses an eye," Max rolled her eyes. "How far?"

"'Bout…thirty, forty-five minutes," Dean answered.

"See ya then," Max said, smiling. She closed her phone, and turned to face Victoria, who was smiling slightly. "What?"

"You wanna borrow the dress when I'm done?" Victoria asked.

Max raised her eyebrows, "Victoria…"

"Just kidding," Victoria shook her head, "But seriously, how long have you guys been goin' out?"

Max frowned, "Like…maybe…eight months…nine maybe…"

"So…how long before they get here?" Victoria asked.

Max checked her watch, "'Bout a half hour." She frowned, and dialed Dean's phone once again.

"We went to Tom's to get the Impala," Dean replied before she said anything. He chuckled, "Sam collided with three doors and two more trashcans before we got him outside."

"How many of those did you warn him about?" Max asked.

Dean remained silent.

"That's what I thought," Max rolled her eyes, "Something I forgot to ask earlier…what the hell rammed the car?"

"I honestly don't know," Dean told her.

"What do you mean, you don't know? You were there!"

"Yeah, but…okay, remember when we helped Cassie with that monster truck thing?" Dean asked.

"Trying not to," Max grimaced.

"Oh yeah…" Dean said quietly, "Uh…anyway, my theory is that the spirit was destroyed when it didn't kill Tom…like Dex said, we had to finish the story…so…"

"So when it hit you, it vanished?" Max asked.

"I'm assuming," Dean said. "I mean…if it had been something else, it would've been there. And you've seen Tom's car…but there was nothing there…except us."

"Huh…" Max said.

"Dean?" Sam said beside him. "Pull over."

"Sam, come on, we're almost there," Dean complained.

"I'm gonna puke…"

Max heard a screech of brakes, and then one of the Impala's doors squeaked.

"It's the medicine the doc gave him," Dean sighed, "He's got his sense of direction back I think…but we might be a little while."

Max turned to Victoria, "Sam's tossing his cookies on the side of the road, there's gonna be a few minute delay."

Dex knocked on the door, "Well?"

"Sam done getting rid of his lunch?" Max asked.

The door slammed, and Dean answered, "I hope so."

"I'm good," Sam said, "Drive."

"Ten minutes…hopefully," Dean told her, and ended the call.

Max closed her phone, and looked at Victoria, who looked at herself and frowned.

"Do you think this dress is too poofy?"

Max looked at Dex, "Your fiancé will be here in ten minutes, and you're worried that your dress is too poofy?"

"Okay, you pick a topic," Victoria said.

Max remained silent.

"When are you and Dean gonna tie the knot?" Dex asked her.

"We're not," Max said.

"You're not?" Victoria frowned.

"Look, we're just going out…and hunting ghosts at the same time," Max said. "Don't know how far it will go…"

"Do you love him?" Victoria grinned.

"Why does everyone ask me that question?" Max asked. "Or, tell me to tell him I love him? Can't I just go out with a guy, and nobody say anything?"

"You notice how defensive she gets anytime someone mentions love?" Dex asked, "She was the same way with Dylan."

"And with Jonathan," Victoria smirked.

Max shook her head, as her face burned, "I hate you guys."

"We love you too, Maxie," Victoria smiled innocently.

"I'm outta here," Max said, "I'll be back when the boys arrive." She closed the door behind her, and leaned against it. "That's one thing I never missed," She said under her breath.

Ten minutes later, Tom walked in. He had a cut across his left cheek, and a few across his nose. "Vicky's okay, right?"

"'Course she was," Max smirked, "She was with me all week…now how 'bout my boys?"

Dean walked in, with Sam right behind him.

"At least you dressed for the occasion…" Max frowned as she looked at Sam. "Ouch…" His left eye was completely swollen shut, and the area itself had a lump the size of a golf-ball.

"Just let me sleep with a bag of ice, I'll be fine," Sam shrugged. He looked at Dean, who also had a good sized lump on the right side of his head, "You know…Dean might want to do that as well."

"Hey, you're the one that got the concussion," Dean defended himself.

Dex came out of the room, "Ah, the groom is here…I take it we can start?"

"That would be a good idea," Max nodded.

* * *

The wedding ceremony passed by without a problem, vows were exchanged, tears of happiness were shed, the whole ball of wax.

During the reception, Sam sat at the bar, with a bag of ice pressed to the side of his head, trying to get the swelling down. Dean sat near him, and both shook their heads at Victoria's friend Janice, who was doing a terrible job at karaoke.

Max plopped down beside Dean, "Once Victoria leaves, we're outta here."

"Yeah, because then the party's over," Sam pointed out.

"No, we're leaving Rochester," Max snapped. "I can't stand being here another minute."

Dean frowned, and was about to ask what happened, when Marilyn walked through the door to the reception hall. _Something tells me that would be the reason._ Trying to lighten Max's mood, Dean joked, "Hey Max…why don't you grace us with a song?"

Max glanced at Janice, and raised her eyebrows; "There isn't enough alcohol in the galaxy to get me to go make an ass of myself like that."

Victoria walked up behind Max, "Funny…you used to like karaoke."

"Shut up, Victoria," Max sighed. She spun on the stool, "And Victoria…I'm glad we had this time to reconcile, but we're leaving soon."

"But Max…" Victoria frowned.

"Sorry, Victoria," Max said, "Can't stay. I hate your mother, and the feeling's mutual. I don't know why she hates me, but she does."

Victoria frowned, "Max…come with me for a second…"

"What? Why?" Max asked, as Victoria grabbed onto her arm, "Just come on."

"Guess I'll be back in a few minutes," Max rolled her eyes, and let herself be dragged out by her cousin.

Dean looked at Sam; "This is one weird family."

"And ours is so normal?" Sam asked.

"True," Dean admitted. "I don't know…there's something weird about all this…I mean, what's the deal with Max?"

"She's a freak of nature."

Both Winchesters jumped at the sound of Marilyn's voice.

"She lived with my three sisters," Marilyn snapped. "Rosemary was the only one that wasn't killed because of her."

"Because Max's mother died in a plane crash?" Sam asked. "But the fires were Max's fault?"

Marilyn frowned, "Plane crash?"

"Max told us her mother died in a plane crash," Sam said, "Rosemary O'Reilly? Died in a plane crash?"

Marilyn blinked, "Oh right…whoever goes near that girl is cursed, no two ways about it."

Dean frowned as the woman walked away, "Why does everyone get defensive when Max's mom is mentioned?"

"Like I would know?" Sam asked.

"Rhetorical question," Dean rolled his eyes.

"Dude, you know what rhetorical means?" Sam asked, lowering the ice pack.

Dean flicked him in the swollen side of his head, then got up and walked away. Sam grimaced, and pressed the cold bag to his temple. "Ow…"

Outside, Victoria pulled something from the backseat of the car, "Okay…Mom's gonna kill me for doing this…but you need to know the truth."

"About what?" Max asked.

"You know, why she hates you and everything," Victoria frowned. "You don't deserve it. But I don't want you to open it here," She handed the thick envelope to Max, "I want you to wait. This is supposed to be a happy night…though my mother ruined that."

"Well…it would've been happy if I hadn't have shown up," Max admitted.

"She's out of line," Victoria said. "About everything."

Max frowned, and shoved the envelope in her purse. She sighed, "Wanna go back and party?"

"How about we do a duet?" Victoria asked.

"I don't sing," Max frowned.

"Come on," Victoria said, "It'll be fun."

"It'll be embarrassing!" Max whined.

"Come on, we can do that one song from _Chicago,_" Victoria smiled. "What was it…_'I Move On'_."

Max grimaced, "Fine…"

"Really?" Victoria smiled. "Come on!" She grabbed her arm again.

"Oh god, kill me now…" Max whimpered.

* * *

"All right," Dean said, pulling the Impala to a stop.

They were now in upstate New York, and Sam got out of the backseat. The swelling was down, thanks to the ice he'd kept on the bruises all night. He leaned against the passenger door, "One more for the road?"

"Get lost," Max told him, keeping her eyes closed behind her sunglasses.

"Aww, come on," Dean smirked, "Give me at least one autograph."

"You don't shut up and both sides of your face will be swelling," Max snapped.

The brothers exchanged nervous looks.

"Right," Sam shook his head; "Well…I'll be goin'."

They watched Sam walk to the door, and knock. Sara opened the door, and grinned from ear to ear.

Max smiled as Sam kissed Sara in a hello. "They're so cute together."

"Yeah," Dean smiled as well. "And he yelled at me for hookin' them up."

Max rolled her eyes, glancing back as Sam and Sara walked inside the building. "Think Sam's over his relationship phobia?"

"Looks like it," Dean said, restarting the Impala's engine. He turned out onto the road, "So…we'll probably get the room to ourselves tonight…"

"Yeah," Max nodded.

"So…you want to—?"

"Maybe," Max frowned as she remembered the envelope Victoria had given her. "There's something I have to do first…"

"What?" Dean frowned, as Max grabbed her purse, rifling through it.

She pulled out the envelope; "Victoria gave me this. Don't know what's in it, or why she wasn't allowed to tell me what was in it."

"You sure you want to open it then?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Max nodded, "I think so…I'm gonna do it when we check in."

Hours had passed, and Dean was lying on the bed, arms folded. "How 'bout now?"

"I'll open it," Max told him. She sat at the table, eyes on the thick envelope.

Dean looked out the window, "You do realize it was morning when you first sat down."

"And what time is it now?" Max asked, still gazing at the envelope.

"Night," Dean answered.

Max was silent for a few minutes. "It's just…"

"Just what?"

Max finally looked at him, "Aunt Marilyn kept this a secret for years…I don't know what the secret is…I have a theory, which I'm hoping is wrong…because it's really far-fetched…"

"Well…open the envelope and find out what the secret is," Dean said. Max sat motionless, and Dean sighed, "Max…do you _want_ to open it?"

Max sighed, and reached for the envelope.

* * *

Sam walked into the room the next day, stopping in his tracks when he saw Dean sitting on the edge of his bed, alone. "What's wrong…where's Max?"

Dean jumped at Sam's voice, "Nothing's wrong…Max just decided to head back to Denver early…got on a bus a few hours ago. She's takin' a break…gonna do some courier jobs, gonna call when she's done…"

Sam frowned, and asked, "Then what's got you all freaked out?"

"Oddly enough," Dean sighed, "A question I asked…why the Demon didn't go after Max."

"She was just lucky and slipped through the cracks?" Sam offered.

"No…she didn't," Dean shook his head. "Victoria gave Max an envelope…had a bunch of stuff in it…one particularly interesting item was an old newspaper article."

Sam took the paper when Dean held it out. "An obituary…" He frowned, seeing the picture beside it. "Kelsey Kelly, Max's aunt."

"Read the article, Sammy," Dean told him.

"Kelsey Kelly…died February 13, 1982…died in an electrical fire…" He frowned, was realization sunk in, "Survived by her parents…sisters…niece…and her…_what?_" He looked at Dean, then back at the article. "Oh my god…"

"Looks like Rosemary O'Reilly was keeping a secret of her own," Dean said.

"Yeah, a hell of a big secret," Sam agreed. He read through the article once more, still not quite believing what it actually said.

_Kelsey Kelly, 19, died February 13, 1982. Her death was caused by what has been deemed an electrical fire. She will be missed dearly, and is remembered by her parents, George and Margaret, her sisters, Marilyn, Rosemary, and Melissa, and her niece, Lily. Sadly, she also leaves behind her six-month-old daughter, Rosemary-Maxine Kelly._

* * *

**Love it, hate it, any suggestions?**


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